Indonesia Aims for IKN Nusantara Airport to Serve Commercial Flights Before 2028
- Sekretariat Presiden
Penajam Paser Utara, VIVA – Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi stated that the government aims to commercialize the VVIP Airport in the IKN Nusantara before 2028. In line with this, the airport's function will also be adjusted to serve as a public airport.
"I hope it will be commercialized before then. If the government relocates in 2028, the process should ideally be completed beforehand," Minister Purwagandhi said on Saturday (March 1).
Menteri Perhubungan, Dudy Purwagandhi, dalam rapat kerja bersama Komisi V DPR RI, Kamis, 23 Januari 2025
- VIVA.co.id/Mohammad Yudha Prasetya
On the other hand, the minister has yet to confirm when the name change of IKN Airport will take place. As of now, the airport is still officially referred to as the IKN VVIP Airport, following Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 31 of 2023.
Despite plans to rename it for public use having been discussed since 2024, no changes have been made yet.
With a new name, the airport’s function would expand beyond serving only VVIP flights to accommodating general commercial flights as well.
"We need to approach this matter by considering the regulations. We have to see if it’s possible to change the name. I haven't discussed revising the presidential regulation yet—at least not with me. I’ll check on that later," Minister Purwagandhi stated.
As information, the IKN Airport has been officially registered internationally with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) code WALK. In line with this, the Ministry of Transportation is targeting the airport to begin serving commercial flights by 2026.
